


Slave to the Lender

by SarahJane001



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arthur Morgan Does Not Have Tuberculosis, Eventual Romance, F/M, Kidnapping, Sexual Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 00:34:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30013404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahJane001/pseuds/SarahJane001
Summary: “Mama, please! I’ll get a job and pay the debt myself, I swear I will!”“It’s too late for that, girl, the deal’s done."Arthur was used to collecting debts for the gang, and was used to having to threaten and beat people to pay up. Paying a visit to the Bennet family, he discovers his debtor's widow and children with nothing left to take. Instead of money or goods, he takes the eldest daughter Rose Bennet in exchange. Frightened at first by this reserved, angry man, Rose slowly learns that Arthur is not the man she initially thought. As Arthur begins to let his guard down, he soon realizes that Rose is not a timid and scared girl and takes her under his wing. As the pair learn more about each other, they start to fall for each other.
Relationships: Arthur/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	Slave to the Lender

Rose sighed contently as a cool breeze swept over her, cooling her skin as she sat underneath a large oak. The sunlight streaming through the large canopy of leaves cast an array of dancing shadows over the pages of the book in her hands. Tucking a strand of unruly hair behind her ear, she turned the page and continued the story. It was a romance novel, and one that she had read a hundred times over, yet each time she read it she was left feeling elated. The leather on the cover was worn, certain pages marred and torn over the years, yet it was one of her most cherished possessions. The book had been a gift to her from her father, and he had used it and others to teach her to read as a child. 

As of lately, she found herself turning to the written word for comfort, the recent death of her father a fresh wound. Any chance she got to read was treasured, for between her enormous workload outside and the house chores she hardly got the chance these days. Much as she savored the time to sit outside and read, it was over almost as soon as it started. She heard the front door of her cottage slam, and saw the angry shape of her mother storming towards her. 

“Well, what we got here?” She sneered, grabbing Rose harshly by the arm and dragging her to her feet. “The lady enjoy her afternoon tea, huh? While I’m inside slavin’ over that damn stove! You think you ain’t need to work no more, miss?” 

“I was taking a break, Mama. I just finished up the stalls.” She protested, pulling out of her mother’s iron-clad grip. 

“Since you got time to lounge around, you got time to finish your chores. Now you best git inside and start the washin’.” 

Rose sighed, knowing very well that arguing with her mother led to nothing but a beating. Tucking the book under her arm, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt as she made her way to the front door with her mother at her heels. They were interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats coming down the road towards the house. She looked in awe as a huge black Shire, and the largest horse she had ever seen in her life, came to a gentle stop a few feet away. The rider was a man, wearing jeans and a blue button up shirt under his worn-out scout’s jacket. He had on an equally worn out gambler’s hat, casting a shadow that concealed his face to her. 

“I’m lookin’ for a Mr. Bennet.” He spoke suddenly, his voice deep and commanding. Her mother passed her, her hands on her hips and a scrutinizing look on her face. 

“He ain’t here,” She said to the man. “What’s your business?” 

“Mr. Bennet borrowed $300 from a man named Strauss, and now the bill has come due.” He said to her in a harsh tone that made Rose shrink. Her mother stood steadfast, a smirk on her weathered face. 

“Good luck with that,” she said with a snort. “He’s dead.” 

“He’s dead?” The man repeated, taking a moment to dismount his massive steed. Now that he was level with them, Rose could see that he had a short brown beard, his face slightly dirty and his eyes a striking blue-green color. Despite their beautiful color, they were fixed cooly on her mother, giving him an air of danger about him. 

“Yep. The bastard borrowed money from anyone stupid enough to lend it, spent his days drinkin’ and gamblin’ down in Valentine. He went and bet against the wrong man and lost, ended up with a knife in his back. Whatever money y’all gave him is gone, mister. ”

“I’m sorry to hear of his passing,” The man stepping closer, his hands crossing over his chest. “But it don’t change the fact he borrowed from us. The debt is due, looks like you’ll be payin’ it Mrs. Bennet.” 

“I ain’t got anything to give you. He done pawned anything worth money, stole anything we had.” 

“I’ll see that for myself,” He replied, pushing past the two women on his way inside the house. The house was very small, only having three rooms. The main room held some cabinets, and something cooking on a rusty old stove. He saw two small children in the corner, playing with a rag doll. They looked up to him with curiosity as he made his way through, opening every drawer and cupboard. He made his way into one of the bedrooms, noting that it was bare of anything except a bed and a dresser. He rifled through the drawers for a moment, pulling the garments out and searching for any hidden bill folds or jewelry, but was annoyed to find none. 

The man made his way into the other room, similar to the first in it’s scarcity of furniture or personal belongings. He dug through a chest at the end of the bed, as well as the bedside table and adjacent dresser, and let out a growl of frustration as he found absolutely nothing of value there, either. He stepped back out into the main room to find the two women had followed him inside, the younger of which was holding the hands of the two small children. 

“Y’all wearing any jewelry?” He questioned, taking a menacing step towards them. 

“Not a lick, I told ya he robbed us clean. Maybe now you’ll see some sense and not lend to fools.” The mother spoke again, still smirking at his misfortune. The man narrowed his eyes at her tone. 

“You got horses?” He questioned.

“Just one, but he’s a mean bastard. Dumber than a rock, too. That bag o’bones won’t fetch anything, we already tried. He ain’t even worth a bullet ‘tween the eyes.” The man sighed, growing more frustrated as anything he could think of was thrown out the window. 

“I don’t like roughin’ up a woman, Mrs. Bennet, but that don’t mean I won’t do it. Y’all better cough up something.” 

“Whatchu gon’ do, mister? You can beat me black and blue but I ain’t got anything to give you.” The man clenched his fist, realizing with great anger that she was right. He had looked through everything, but this family was as poor as they come. 

“What about the girl?” He said in a menacing growl, gesturing towards Rose. 

“You want her?” The mother questioned him, before letting out a deep laugh. “She ain’t gonna fetch $300, that’s for damn sure, but you can have her.” 

“Mama!” Rose yelled, in disbelief at the nonchalance at her mother. She spoke of her as she would an animal, uncaring and cruel. Things between the two had been very tense most of her life, worsened by her father’s passing, but surely she wouldn’t sell her so easily? 

“Hush up,” the woman barked to her daughter, before turning her eyes back to the man. “That’s the last of his things. Only thing that damn fool left me was another mouth to feed.” He looked at her, suddenly intrigued. He expected some resistance from the woman, yet she seemed eager to get rid of her eldest child. 

“And them two?” He gestured to the smaller children, clinging to the young woman’s skirt. 

“They ain’t his.” She smiled, patting the little boy on his head. “Better off for it, you ask me. They ain’t got his bad blood in ‘em.” 

“Alright then,” The man said, leaning against the wall as he pulled a cigarette out of his satchel, lighting it with a match on the table. “The debt’s settled, then. Go pack your things, girl.” 

Rose looked at her mother in horror, all of the horrible things he could have in mind running through her head. She couldn’t believe her mother would pawn her off with no regard to her wellbeing, let alone speak so lowly of her. 

“Mama, please!” She cried, grabbing her mother by the arm. “Please don’t make me go! I’ll get a job and pay the debt myself, I swear I will!” 

“It’s too late for that, girl, the deal’s done. Now go pack your things, you got five minutes.” The man said to her, gesturing towards the room she shared with her brother and sister. Rose felt her throat tighten up, suddenly aware of the gun holsters on the man’s belt as he adjusted his coat. He wasn’t giving them any choice, her mother had sealed her fate. She looked into her mother’s eyes, pleading with her to spare her this, but her eyes were devoid of any love or emotion as she ripped her hands away. 

“Git goin’.” She said, shoving her shoulder towards the room. Rose felt her eyes starting to sting, but she refused to let the tears fall down her cheeks. Entering her room, she grabbed an old leather bag and started shoveling in her few articles of clothing. A couple of patchy blouses, a few worn skirts, her nightgown and her extra socks and shoes. She reached under her bed, finding the familiar loose floorboard there, and pulled it away to reveal her stash of books. 

Combined with the one she still held under her arm, she only had four to her name, but they were her most valued possessions. Opening the cover of the one at the bottom, she stroked her fingers over the picture inside the cover. It was a family portrait, and the only picture she had of her father. It was taken before the arrival of her siblings, and she had managed to tear the picture cleanly so that it no longer included her mother. Rose looked at her father’s smiling face, feeling a harsh pang of longing as she wished he was there to save her now. Coming to her senses, she knew the seconds were ticking away, as she shoved the books into the sack, replacing the board. Going to the dresser, she grabbed her hairbrush, a few hair pins, and closed the sack as it now contained every last one of her belongings. 

Rose exited the room with her bag over her shoulder, her eyes downcast. The man was no longer in the room, but she could see him standing outside, adjusting the straps on his horse’s saddle. She glanced at her mother, but she had her back turned to her and had busied herself with the stew bubbling on the stove. She turned to her two younger siblings, gathering both in her arms and hugging them to her tightly. 

“You mind Mama, ok? I love you.” The children were three and two and a half respectively, not yet knowing how to talk, but as they looked at her smiling Rose had to stifle a sob. Who knew when she would see them again, if at all? For all she knew this man could be planning to sell her off, or she’d end up shipped off somewhere. Placing a final kiss on each of their heads, she gathered her courage and stepped onto the porch. 

The man pulled out a pocket watch, noting the time with interest. 

“Five minutes on the dot, at least you’re the punctual type… gimme your stuff.” 

Rose handed him the bag cautiously. He took the strap and fixed it to the saddle, before reaching into his satchel and pulling out a small length of rope. 

“Your wrists.” He said, unravelling the rope. 

“Seriously?” She asked incredulously. “Where do you think I’m gonna run to, Mister? I ain’t got nowhere to go.” 

“I ain’t askin’,” he said sternly, grabbing her hands forcefully. “And you’d do best to mind me, girl.” He tied her wrists together tightly, Rose wincing as the harsh ropes stung and scratched her delicate skin. Without warning, he lifted her by the waist and put her in front of the saddle on his horse. She let out a cry of surprise as she was lifted off of her feet, trying to grab the mane of the horse in order to avoid falling off. The horse let out a snort in protest, shaking its massive head and dislodging her hold. She felt the man mount as well, placing a firm grip on her shoulder. With his free hand, he had grabbed a black kerchief and was tying it tightly over her eyes. Rose tried to steady her breath, feeling the panic rise in her stomach. She was bound and devoid of sight, helpless and completely at this man’s mercy. 

“Please, Mister, I won’t be trouble. Won’t you at least let me see?” 

“Shut up.” Was his only reply as he spurred the horse on, heading away from her home into the unknown.


End file.
